As an older White man, I am very much the traditional stereotype of a technician.  My team at CSM in the Performance Program is more widely diverse, including men, women, people with differing racial/ethnic backgrounds and declared sexualities.  This is important, as we support a group of students who are very diverse themselves.  Despite this diversity,  we do tend to have a quality in common in our team which presents a wall of authority.

What are the barriers which keep some students from accessing our support?  Why are some students comfortable with coming into our technical space to talk with us and ask for advice and guidance?  Is this purely about communication of information,  about certain students being more interested in Theatre, or is there something else at work?  The entrance to the “backstage” areas for the performance program are our “dominion”  we have our offices there.  It is also where we keep much of our equipment and tools as well as having a workshop space.  If students wish to see us in person then they either have to contact us via email or they have to enter “our world”.  First of all it is a bit of a challenge to find “our world”.  It is at the far end of the building, down a turning corridor.  Our main door has a sign on it which starts with the words “Students Stop”  This was put up to clarify to students that this is not the correct door to get in to the theatre during the pandemic , but I suspect it has another effect.  To discourage students from coming in at all.    I propose an artefact for my technical area which would evaluate and re-imagine the signage and immediate atmosphere which ushers students into our backstage area.

I believe that this artefact would be much more than a simple clarification of our location in the building.  I have the impression that, despite our best attempts personally, our technical team can be intimidating to students.  A big part of this is our intimidating location and the unconscious messages of authority which that location imposes.  The concern is that students who are made to feel less confident,  and perhaps feel less “permission” to enter and ask for support, will be discouraged from doing so.  The concern is that non-white or non-British students would be particularly affected due to  language/vocabulary and  cultural differences connected with the traditions of performance presented by the program.   Of course,  it is the students who have the most questions and who are the least familiar with the workings of western/UK performance practice that are the ones who might most benefit from our support.  An entrance atmosphere that encourages students might really help to break down any intimidation.

Current resources I have engaged with for this

Whiteness in Higher Education, Andre Willman,  

Shades of Noir Publication. Peek a boo we see you: Whiteness. Available at 

Friere, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the oppressed. London: Continuum.

Gladwell, M. (2008) Outliers:The Story of Success, New York, Little-Brown and Co.